This week Deborah Coonts visits the blog. I met Deborah in person at an RWA meeting in Las Vegas in 2010 and I haven't laughed quite that hard in a writing meeting. This woman writes fantastic romantic suspense that takes place in Las Vegas, and she makes you laugh so hard, don't drink while reading. Deborah is so great to talk to with her dry, laid-back humor, although she'll tell you she's anything but laid-back. Today I asked her one question about what in her real life inspires hilarity in her books.

BBTF: Humor is a huge theme throughout your books along with the suspense. What is your funniest (recent) real life experience?

Deborah: The funniest thing that has happened to me lately?Moving, but not quite in the way you might think. Moving is horrible, for sure. Each time I do it I swear the next time I’m just going to sell everything and start over in the new locale. Of course, I never do. So, like every move before I sold the old place, bought a new one. Moved the furniture. Relicensed the car as well as myself. After a few short but interminable weeks, the move was complete. Sort of. While it’s painful, changing one’s permanent address is relatively easy. Changing one’s perspective is not.

After so much time in Vegas, apparently I had absorbed its … sensibilities. Reentry into the real world came with some bumps and bruises.

For instance, the other day I went to my new doctor for that whole annual thing we all so look forward to. The nurse practitioner came in the room to take my vitals and ask some questions. As she got settled, clipboard on her lap, I cut to the chase ticking off the questions I knew by rote from my time in Vegas on my fingers as I worked through them. “In the last year, I’ve not shared any needles with anyone. I’ve not taken any sort of mind-altering anything, unless you count riding on the Slingshot on the top of the Stratosphere—that gave me nightmares for months. Oh, and there was that night where I decided sampling all the inventory at that new whiskey bar was a good idea—all that alcohol probably killed any pesky germs I had floating around, right?” I paused for her nod then forged ahead completely missing the rising incredulity in her eyes. “I’ve slept with one man, zero women, zero transgenders, zero transsexuals, and zero gender non-specific.” Yes, the State of Nevada is very interested in its citizen’s sex lives.

When I finished the nurse was very quiet, her eyes as big as saucers. “I’m almost afraid to ask,” she finally said. “But gender non-specif﻿﻿﻿ic?”

I shrugged as I felt the color rising in my cheeks. “I’m not really sure. My former doctor never specified. Best I can figure those would be men who are pussies.”

She rewarded me with a laugh.

“You don’t have any of those in Texas?”

She blew at a lock of hair across her forehead. “Honey, we got more of those here than we can say grace over.”

I’m not sure this is a good thing, but at least I’ll feel at home.

LOL Uh, yeah, not sure about that designation, but I'd offer them blessings, too. You can find out more about Deborah Coonts's books on her website. Be sure to buy a book and tell a friend. Happy reading!